Whew! We’re back from Atlanta and our heads are spinning with great new ideas. Did we mention that we also came straight back to a big installation?! Be on the lookout for the new project to appear on the blog soon. MDI doesn’t just go to High Point in the fall and spring; MDI also tries to make to Atlanta every year or so. We pulled out of Charleston Monday morning when most of you were still asleep to catch a couple of days at the America’s Mart and Atlanta Decorative Arts Center (ADAC). The Mart is not unlike High Point in that you have most of your vendors convening at one time and in the same location. The difference is that the Mart has more extensive accessories, home goods and lighting with less of a focus on home furnishings. Enough of that! Let’s get to the photos!

We are always looking for fun, easy wall art for our Kiawah design projects.  Not that all beach clients want the beach look, but many want to bring in that coastal design element.  These blue turtles in a silver frame are stylized and up to date.  They could go with a more whimsical design or with a more sophisticated interior.

The blue seahorse would look great at the end of a hallway.

Some of us don’t even surf and we love this collection.

We didn’t just see great coastal art.  Here are some other collections that we hope to incorporate into our Charleston interiors soon.  These ballerinas are exquisite.

Art doesn’t just pertain to sketches, oils, watercolors, etc. on the wall.  Here are some more interesting finds.  We sent this Baker Furniture accessory to a Downtown Charleston client for her sophisticated living room.

This print from the Thomas Pheasant Collection at Baker Furniture is actually a photo that he took in Washington, D.C.  Pheasant pulled a lot of Neoclassical elements into his designs.  We enjoyed how he incorporated his own art into the showroom.  The piece is also an example of very up to date framing.  Havens Fine Framing could certainly help us to create this look.  This inspires us to create!  As Charleston designers, we have the perfect city at our fingertips; perhaps, we can incorporate more of Charleston into our designs in a creative way such as this.

Next up, we have a cameo that is framed in an oversized linen mat.  This is yet another example as to how framing and proportion are equally as important as the object being framed.  This particular item was spotted in the Ainsworth-Noah showroom.

Returning to the original image up top, we have admired the creators of these books for years.  We have captured them at numerous markets of the years.  They have the collections that are architecture buildings when assembled in the proper order.  Or perhaps some blue coral.  Or just a shock of electric colored bindings.  This season, they debuted an exciting assortment of colorful, geometric books.

All in all, it was a great trip.  We are still downloading images so keep check back.  It is never a dull moment when this team of Charleston Designers hits the road.